In the Summertime
by MyName'sBooDixon
Summary: Daryl Dixon: hunter, tracker, legal guardian? - When Merle is incarcerated for the duration of summer, Daryl is tasked with caring for eleven year old Lily, his recently-discovered niece. With help from kindly neighbor Carol and her daughter Sophia, Daryl and Lily learn how to function as a family. Daddy!Daryl. This will be a Caryl fic, AU, no walkers. Rated 'T' to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Daryl Dixon was holding a Strawberry Shortcake backpack.

Yes, _Strawberry Shortcake_; with her baby-pink sun hat and glittery skirt. He sighed as he slung it over his shoulder and picked up pace down the narrow sidewalk. It was only nine in the morning but it was shaping out to be a run of the mill summer day; the sun was beaming brightly from the cloudless blue sky and the air smelled sweetly of flowers.

"Ya gonna have to ride in the front."

That was the first thing he ever said to her. He none-too-delicately tossed Strawberry Shortcake into the back of the truck, the bag landed just next to a big box labelled 'Kitchen'. The girl was already scrambling into the passenger's seat and buckling up by the time Daryl climbed into the car. He twisted the key to start the car and waited for the engine to start up; it spluttered a few times but didn't start. The girl's eyes darted frantically from the key to Daryl.

"Takes a couple tries sometimes." He mumbled sheepishly, twisting the key again and praying the car started; if only so he didn't have to endure the blatant staring from the child sitting next to him. His prayers were answered and - after just a few painful whines from under the hood - the car spluttered to life.

* * *

The car was becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the minute, and the clock on the dash told the car's passengers that they had been at a stand-still for a good fifteen minutes. Gridlock. As far as the eye could see, all the way up the long stretch of road was gridlock. Daryl glanced down at the little girl by his side. Lily was her name, so the social worker had told him. He could see her fidgeting in her seat and white-knuckling her Hollie Hobbie doll. Daryl had the kid sussed out, he reckoned. Bright pink sneakers that looked a little too worn and a little too snug, the rainbow leggings from hell and planted in the middle of her red curls was one of those plastic headbands – the cheap ones you get from a dollar store. He figured they must have put her in the system for a while, no longer than a few weeks. A month at most.

"Mister Dixon, how long do I hafta stay with you?" She asked. That was the first words she said to him, other than 'thank you', which she had said when he grabbed her Strawberry Shortcake backpack for her.

"Dunno," Daryl shrugged, sighing wearily at the orchestra of car horns. "'Till Merle – uh, ya Daddy gets back from… Business, I s'pose." Yeah, the kid was Merle's, and you could see it in her face. In her cobalt blue eyes and her features. If there was one thing he had to admire in Lily, it was her honesty, because right then and there she let go of her Hollie Hobbie, twisted in her seat, looked him dead in the face and said, "I don't want to stay with you."

She immediately wished she hadn't said that because she'd once been told by her mother 'you can't just say things to people when they pop into your brain. You need a filter between your brain and your mouth!'

"I – I don't mean anything by it, sir, just that I miss my mom, is all." Lily admitted. She didn't miss her Dad. You can't miss something if you've never had it and Lily had never had a Dad. She'd met Merle once, in brief passing, right before his court date. "I wanna stay with mama." _But mom is gone to Heaven now. _She mentally chided herself and looked at her knees.

Well shit. What was Daryl supposed to do with that? What sage advice did he have to offer? What words of comfort?

"Ya gotta stay with me." deadpanned, and for the billionth time he willed the car trip to be over.

Lily crossed her arms and pouted.

"Says who?" She wondered, batting her eyes, all innocence.

"Says the state a' Georgia, little miss." Daryl grumbled and kept his eyes on the traffic flow. There was a small awkward pause while both parties thought of something to contribute to the conversation. "We're movin'." Daryl said all-too-eagerly and put the pedal to the floor.

Daryl relaxed in the silence and turned into the street he lived on. The street was still new to him, seeing as he only began moving in a few days before Lily was released into his custody. Prior to that, he'd been living in a cramped two-bedroom with Merle in a kinda sketch part of town, _not really suitable for a kid_ he'd thought. But, then he'd found this new place, some old guy was renting it for cheap. Daryl pulled himself from his thoughts to roll into the driveway.

"Uh, there's boxes and shit everywhere so just kinda… move 'round 'em." He explained before climbing out of the car, grabbing Strawberry Shortcake and a box from the back and heading for the house.

* * *

"What you got your eyes on, Soph?" Carol called from the kitchen, glancing toward the girl.

Sophia, who had been peeking around the curtain for the past few minutes, excitedly jumped up and down, her head flicking back and forward between her mother and the window.

"New neighbours!" Beamed the little girl. "Can we go say hello?"

* * *

**A.N: Plot bunnies. I need to write this and I do not know why. This A.N right here is more of a formal apology more than anything. If you actually liked this though I really welcome reviews and follows and all that stuff. I'm a tad worried about this. *Ducks the bricks that you're probably throwing right now*.**

**Hugs and Kisses **

**~Boo~**


	2. Chapter 2

Carol cocked her head to the side, there hadn't been mention of new neighbors. She padded across the living room floor to stand beside Sophia, who was crouched by the window, the curtain half shielding her face. From what Carol observed it seemed to be just the one guy and a little girl about Sophia's age. The pair were wrestling with towers of boxes and stumbling in the general direction of the front porch.

"So can we?" Sophia asked again, blinking at up at her mother, her eyes widening as she pouted for the perfect puppy face.

"Can we what?" Carol redirected her gaze from the strangers to her daughter and placed her hands on Sophia's shoulders.

"Can we go see the new neighbors, please, pleeease?" Sophia wasn't usually so sociable, but being cooped up in the house with her mother for the whole summer vacation seemed like a pretty dull prospect. The closest thing Sophia had to friendship was with a girl by the name of Eliza Morales, who was moving up to Birmingham to be closer to her family*.

"They look pretty busy right now…" Carol muttered, watching as the man balanced a second towering pile of boxes.

"They _look like _they need a hand." Sophia countered, her own gaze fixed on the little girl, who was struggling with a few boxes of her own. Carol felt her lips twitching upward in a crooked smile.

* * *

The twin pile of boxes rested underneath the window on the dusty living room floor, Daryl wondered if the previous owners had thought to tidy up before they left, he noticed most things (floor included) were covered in a fine film of dust. He also noticed that the front yard was quite unkempt; weeds spilled over from their yard and weaved themselves into the cracks of the pavement out front, the drooping flowers were fading in color with their leaves falling off and the only plant that seemed to be thriving was the ivy, which was climbing its way up the house and spreading across the sagging porch roof.

"That'll be it for t'day, I reckon." Daryl said as he deposited his last box onto the kitchen counter. Lily shoved her own box into a corner and the two sighed. Daryl slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, it felt good to be resting his legs. Lily figured she should do the same and so she sat cross legged right next to Daryl.

"Lotta' boxes." She observed, her wide blue eyes scanning over the room as she attempted conversation. Daryl didn't reply though, he actually shut his eyes and started drifting off. He could have fallen asleep right then, if not for the knocking at the door. "Who do you suppose that'll be?" Lily asked, jumping to her feet with the energy only kids have, Daryl sluggishly followed along behind her until the pair reached the door.

Sophia couldn't help but back away a bit and grab her mother's hand when Daryl opened the door. He was a scruffy looking guy and it Sophia felt a pang of fear. Her mother, on the other hand, didn't seem so intimidated.

"Uh… Yeah?" Daryl greeted the pair. It wasn't exactly the kind of guests Daryl expected. Daryl didn't really expect to have guests at all, but the door had creaked open to reveal a tiny woman and an even tinier girl standing on his porch.

"Uh… Hi. I'm Carol and this is Sophia," Carol began, gesturing to Sophia, who was waving shyly. Carol had effectively kept the slightly-fearful wobble out of her voice and she took the man's silence as a sign to continue. "We live just across the street." Carol half-turned her body to glance at her house and Daryl followed her gaze. Her house was what he expected: perfect lawn, well maintained garden beds, porch swing. The whole package. Figures.

"'M Daryl," Daryl introduced himself. "This here's Lily." He said, jerking his thumb toward Lily, who was now stepping out to wave at Sophia and Carol.

"Well, Daryl and Lily, we just wanted to welcome you and see if you needed any help getting set up?" Carol offered. But Daryl didn't need help, Daryl never ever needed help. With anything. He was perfectly capable of moving some boxes.

"Nah, s'fine. 'Preciate the offer, though." He mumbled.

"Well… okay. If you do need help, we're just across the street." Carol smiled softly. Daryl nodded in thanks. Daryl started to close the door and Sophia poked her mother in the back. "O-Oh, and Daryl. If you ever want to organise a playdate for the girls j-just let me know." She added quickly before he shut the door.

_Playdates? – _Daryl couldn't help but roll his eyes.

* * *

The warm air was finally departing to make way for the coolness of the night. Dixon Manner – As Lily had jokingly named her place of residence – was relatively silent. Save for the chirping of crickets. Lily lay awake in the bed, it creaked and whined every time she moved so she kept as still as she could. Her cheeks were damp and her eyes were puffy. At the sound of a floorboard squeaking, she sat up, alarmed.

"Lily?" A raspy voice called through the darkness. Lily immediately began swiping at any tears that had escaped. She was a big girl.

"Yes, Mister Daryl?" She sniffled. She heard the mattress creak before she felt Daryl sit on it.

"Ya don't hafta call me Mister, y'know. Just Daryl." He began. The whole 'Mister' and 'Sir' thing was really starting to grate on his nerves, it pissed him off like nothing else.

"'Kay." She mumbled, her voice wavered. Here it came, the talk Daryl had been dancing around since nine AM that morning. He could hear her sniffling and he knew he'd have to say something soon. But what?

"Uh, how come ya crying?" Was all that he could muster.

"My Mom's dead." The girl deadpanned, sitting up on the bed. "My Daddy's in jail," she sniffled. "Aren't I supposed to cry at stuff like that?"

"I dunno." Daryl replied earnestly, his began chewing his thumb nail. Daryl sat in silence on the edge of the bed while Lily cried.

_I shouldn't have said that. _She thought to herself.

"Sorry, for sayin' all that stuff." She sighed. Daryl shrugged, but realized she couldn't see him shrugging so he mumbled something along the lines of, "ah well".

"Will we still do stuff like I did with mom? Like, bedtime stories and baking cookies and going to church and all that stuff?" Lily asked, her voice was steady then, and firm. Just like it had been when she said she didn't want to stay with Daryl.

"Uh, sure kid." Daryl rubbed at his tired eyes and stood up from the bed. Lily had stopped crying, crisis averted. Before Daryl could leave the room he heard Lily call him.

"Daryl, tuck me in?" She called from her bed.

_Tuck in? – Like, check for monsters and the boogie man or some shit? _Daryl wondered as he headed back toward her. He decided it would be best if he just pulled the covers up to her chin and made sure Hollie Hobby was securely under the blanket too.

"G'night, Daryl." She yawned.

"G'night kid."

* * *

**A.N: So... That happened. I seriously want to apologize again, this just... I... Sorry. I just wanted a solid conclusion to their first day together. Oh and remember, Daryl is still relatively useless at caring for wailing children so... He was kinda unhelpful... 10/10 tucking in though, aye?**

***The Morales family left the Quarry group to find their family in Birmingham, Alabama! **

**Oh, also thanks for not throwing bricks at me, everyone. Especially: Prodigium, Vickih, protonefrid, LopezG, Melniewn, lismrox, Tyffany86, hockeydrmr9, ferrisbueller, crystal2817, adelicateflower08, Writingismypassions, MSHK and LucyC-96. **

***Hides just in case one of you throws a brick my way*.**

**~Boo~**


	3. Chapter 3

Until he had walked into what would soon be the living room, he had forgotten all about his small counterpart. His eyes snapped open at the sight of her bright red curls amidst the sea of boxes and, after a moment to compose himself, he'd padded across the room. With a creak of the bones, he sat next to her on the floor.

"Ya know ya s'posed to color in the lines." He said, after a few minutes of watching her swap colored crayons and draw her own additions into the coloring book. She shrugged and kept drawing what looked like it could have been a dog, maybe a cat if you squinted. He raked his hands over his face as he caught sight of a few boxes which had mysteriously moved into a small box fort for her doll, who had been discarded several feet away. He guessed she'd been up for a while. He had to wonder if she'd slept at all.

"How come ya drawin' in a colouring book?" Daryl wondered, no longer able to contain his curiosity. He watched her add a few squiggles to the top of the page. She kept colouring as she answered his question.

"Whenever I asked for a drawin' book – you know, the ones with all the blank pages? I just got colouring in books, or connect-the-dots," she explained, her eyes still fixed on her page. "And besides, I already ran outta stuff to draw on here." She added, her brow creasing in thought. Wait – Daryl didn't recall having anything for her to draw on. The man sure as hell didn't own a drawing book and having just moved in, had no paper.

"What were you drawing on?" He asked, preparing himself to hear 'my bedroom wall' or something of the like.

"Just boxes." She shrugged, continuing with her drawing. On closer inspection, Daryl noticed that the box labelled 'kitchen' was sporting what looked like a giant sun, whilst 'shed' had a few smiley faces drawn on it. It was then that Daryl decided, perhaps it was best if Lily played outside, just while he got the house in order.

* * *

That little girl from the other day was on the lawn again, Sophia had been carefully observing her new neighbors since the second they had moved in.

"Sophia, are you being a sticky beak?" Carol couldn't help but chuckle. Sophia had been over by the window since she'd woken up, her morning cartoons long forgotten. The little girl jumped up from the window and headed toward the kitchen.

"No Momma." She said as she came to sit at one of the chairs by the kitchen bench, she peered over the counter. "Cookies!" Sophia cheered as she watched her mother load the still-hot cookies into a tub, save for one, which she gave Sophia permission to munch on.

"Why don't you run these across to the new neighbors?" Carol suggested, knowing full well her daughter had been all but stalking the pair across the street. Sophia popped the last bit of her cookie into her mouth before nodding avidly and accepting the container.

As Sophia stepped onto the over growing grass of the Dixon's lawn, she noticed the little girl was poking around with some of the flowers, some petals must have come off in her hand because she dusted her hands and the petals scattered across the lawn. Sophia felt her shyness kicking in and swallowed thickly.

"What are you doing?" Sophia asked, craning her neck to get a better look at the decaying flower. Lily jumped a bit at the unexpected voice but regained her composure.

"I was trying to fix the flowers, but I don't think they want fixin'." Lily sighed and stepped away from the garden bed. A silence passed between the two and Sophia shuffled nervously.

"Oh, my mom wanted me to bring these over, it's a welcome present." Sophia stuttered and held out the container of cookies. Lily smiled as she took the box.

"Thanks a heap. I'll take 'em inside in a bit." Lily and Sophia avoided eye contact for a minute.

"It's hot today." Sophia stated and chuckled awkwardly, she began wringing her hands, which had become a bit of a nervous habit.

"Yeah." Lily agreed, "Hey uh… Sophia, I was thinkin' of playing under the sprinkler and 's kinda boring alone. D-did you wanna stay and play?" She stammered. Lily hadn't had many friends, a few acquaintances maybe, but she could never recall actually playing with another kid, maybe once in kindergarten. Sophia's eyes lit up like it was Christmas.

"R-really?! That sounds like a heap of fun! Won't you get in trouble, though? – I always have to tell my mom when I have company." Sophia tilted her head to the side.

"Daryl won't mind." Lily shrugged. "I'll be right back, 'kay? I'm gonna put these inside." Lily held up the container of cookies and bolted for the door, calling 'wait right there' the whole way.

* * *

Sophia and Lily felt like explorers in the huge backyard. Lily hadn't had time to check it out yet and so she was as eager as Sophia to explore. The back yard, much like the front, was in quite a state and in serious need of some TLC, but Lily saw no reason not to play out there.

"You're sure it's okay for me to come play, right?" Sophia asked, feeling a bit nervous. The guy who had opened the door the other day gave her a case of the skeevies. Lily yanked a hose out of a box resting by the back door, a sprinkler soon followed.

"Yeah, it's fine." Lily shrugged, she hadn't checked with Daryl but he didn't seem like he'd be cross about it. The pair soon located the tap and hooked up the hose to it, then the sprinkler to the hose. Sophia stood by the sprinkler, Lily by the tap. "Are you ready?!" Lily called, Sophia gave the thumbs up and Lily turned the tap on, water erupted out the sprinkler and drenched Sophia, Lily darted over and squealed with delight as she ran into the spray, the cold water sent shivers through her and made her clothes feel heavy but she didn't mind. The two jumped and ran through the water, mud fights broke out and soon the pair were soaked and covered in mud. It was the most fun either of them had in a long time.

Daryl could hear Lily all the way from the living room. It was pretty hard _not _to hear Lily, since she squealed or had a giggle fit every five seconds. Daryl had noticed that she'd vacated the front yard in favor of the back yard a little while ago, he also noticed the blond kid from yesterday but he didn't say anything. As long as the kid was out of his hair – and his boxes – he didn't mind what she was doing. But alas, there could be no peace for Daryl Dixon because for the second time in two days he was surprised by a knock at the door. It was however, the same woman from yesterday. He wasn't surprised very much by that.

"Uh, can I help ya with somethin'?" Daryl asked her, she seemed a little jumpier than yesterday.

"Yeah, I sent Sophia over here just a little while ago… I think she stayed to play with uh, Lily but I wasn't sure, she didn't mention it. So I was just wondering if you'd seen her." Carol felt like she was rambling, she was 90% sure Sophia had stayed to play with Lily, but Sophia hadn't mentioned it, so Carol – ever the mama bear – was just over to make sure. Much to her relief, Daryl nodded.

"Yeah, she's just 'round the back… did ya want me to go get 'er?" Daryl resisted the urge to chew his nail right then.

"Oh… i-it's okay. I hope she didn't cause you any trouble." Carol felt a little wobble creeping into her voice.

"Nah, she's jus' been playin' with Lily," Daryl shrugged and shuffled on the spot. "Did you uh, wanna come in or somethin'?" Daryl hadn't really been taught very much in the way of manners, but it was his understanding that it was basic etiquette to offer someone to come in for coffee or tea or whatever the hell people did.

"Alright." Carol stepped into the house.

"Oh, there's a lot o' shit lyin' around everywhere. Sorry 'bout that." Daryl said as he walked with Carol toward the kitchen bench, he proceeded to pull two coffee mugs out of a box, he tilted one toward Carol in offer. "Cleaner than it looks, I swear." He half jested. Carol nodded okay and Daryl did the whole coffee brewing thing, Daryl was somewhat of an closet coffee junkie and the kettle had been the first thing unpacked. The two decided coffee on the back porch sounded like a fine idea and headed out to check on the girls.

"Looks like they had fun." Carol giggled as she took a sip from her mug. The two were covered head to toe in mud and absolutely drenched, Lily even had a few twigs sticking out of her curls. Daryl nodded in agreement.

"Aaw, ya Mom's here." Lily frowned upon noticing the adults. "You gotta go home?" She asked. Sophia looked toward Carol, who said, "in a few minutes, Soph." The two girls turned off the sprinkler and headed out the side gate to the front yard, trading goodbyes like they didn't live just across the street.

"You're daughter seems sweet." Carol observed as soon as the young ones had departed. Daryl felt panic spreading through him like wildfire.

"What? Oh, no. Lily ain't my daughter. I mean… I'm not her Daddy – which is uh… Lily's my niece." Daryl stammered, _smooth move _he winced almost painfully, he could see Carol smiling at his struggle and he cleared his throat.

"Well, your _niece_ seems sweet," Carol chuckled. "I'd love to set up another playdate for the girls sometime." She continued. Daryl decided to overlook her use of the word _playdate. _

"Uh… Sure. Sophia can just come by whenever, y'know. Doesn't bother me none." Daryl shrugged.

"Same goes for Lily." Carol smiled and Daryl took her empty mug. "Thanks for the coffee."

Lily and Daryl saw Sophia and Carol off, watching as the two figures retreated to their home across the street, Sophia animatedly retelling the events of the great mud war to Carol, who listened quietly as her daughter chattered away. The neighboring families both retired to their homes, content to spend the rest of the day relaxing.

* * *

**A.N: Please help, plot bunnies are holding me against my will... Sorry if this was bad, I felt it was a little... flat? - Anywho... thank you for your awesome reviews and follows and favs and stuffs, they make me happy. I know it may seem weird that neighbors just run over to each other's houses without their guardians knowledge, but I've always found myself hopping someone's fence or darting across the street for some uninterrupted playtime.**

**Thank you very much for follows, favorites and reviews, special thanks for: pharmtechgrl71, Prodigium, protonefrid, ferrisbueller and vickih for their reviews to chapter 2, they were all lovely and encouraging and no one felt the need to concuss me with a brick and I danced around my bedroom a little bit with happiness. **

**Thank you to all the favoriters and followers: BrucieBaby, EmbraceYourFREAK, Kabrinastar, Lisab876, LucyC-96, MSHK, Prodigium, Writingismypassions, adelicateflower08, Crystal2817, ferrisbueller, hockeydrmr9, lismrox, melniewn, Pharmtechgrl71, protonefrid, texasbelle91, tyffany86, vickih and tessuhhh. **

**~Boo~**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: Sorry! It was pointed out to me by a reader that Chapter 4 had the same text as chapter 2! (Thank you, Bearhead, you magnificent ball of awesome for pointing this out). Very sorry about that, there was some muck ups in doc manager (*cough* me being up very late and not taking note of the titles of things *cough*) Anywhooo... You may feel free to throw bricks. *Scurries away***

* * *

An ear-piercing scream was the first thing Daryl heard on Sunday morning.

His heart began pounding in his chest and he jolted awake like he'd experienced an electric shock. A small, Lily-sized ball of energy was hurdling toward him at record speed, effectively knocking the wind out of him as her small body slammed into his chest. Daryl grabbed her by her shoulders and held her upright on the mattress. "What? What's happenin'? Ya sick? Ya hurt?" He asked quickly. Lily shook her head no and took a second to catch her breath.

"It's an emergency, Daryl!" She started trying to tug him out the door. When Daryl didn't budge, she crossed her arms over her chest and made a long, dramatic 'uuugh' sound. "We're running _late_." Lily whined, her brow creasing in worry.

"Late?" Daryl managed after several attempts to form any words whatsoever. Lily nodded and tugged his arm again.

"For _church_." Lily said, like it was the most obvious thing in the entire world. Daryl, still fresh out of his panicked state, hung his head and swallowed thickly.

"So, what 'm getting here is; ya bolted into ma room at," _quick glance at the clock, _"eight in the mornin', on a Sunday, screamin' like the world was endin', 'cause ya late for Sunday Service?" Daryl pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, low sigh.

"Yes." Lily said firmly, plonking herself down to sit cross legged on the bed. Daryl tugged at his sheets and collapsed back onto the mattress.

"Go back t' bed, Lil." He mumbled into his pillow, he could feel her eyes on him, it was making him quite uncomfortable and it was almost impossible to relax under her gaze.

"Daryl, please," she moved up to shake his shoulder. He remained silent. "I used to go _every _Sunday with mom, she'd _make_ me go." Lily gave up, she flopped down next to him on the bed. "I didn't think I'd want to go to church after she died, 'cause it's kinda boring sometimes. But I do. I do wanna go." She admitted. Daryl sighed.

"Five minutes." He grumbled, his voice muffled from the pillow. Lily sat up then. "Ya be ready and waitin' by the car in _five minutes_." Daryl felt himself tense as Lily wound her tiny arms around his neck and whispered with all the sincerity in the world, "thank you!"

* * *

The drive to the church was silent, for most the way anyhow. Lily was practically vibrating with excitement, you'd never seen a child so happy to be attending church. As Daryl glanced at her, he wondered if he could picture her growing up in one of those God-fearing families. He didn't think he could.

"Thank you, Daryl." Lily said with a curt nod of the head. Daryl shrugged and kept his attention on the road, Lily looked at him and tried to picture him going to church. She didn't think she could. "Daryl… did you go to church? – When you were little, I mean." Lily wondered, she turned a bit to face him.

Even though he was looking at the road, Lily always liked to be looking at people when they spoke. There was a few moments of silence, Lily didn't really expect him to answer.

"Once, when I was real young, younger than y'are now. My Ma packed me and Merle – uh, ya Daddy – inta the car and said we were goin' t' church. 'S the most borin' thing I can ever 'member doing. Got in trouble 'bout ten times 'cause I wouldn't sit still." Daryl reminisced. He looked up and down the street, the traffic was killing him. The church was right in the middle of the town and so most cars on the road were coming to and from, creating quite a few jams.

"I went to church every Sunday. Then I went to youth program on every Wednesday – it kinda sucked but they had a drawing station there and I used to take all their paper home with me," Lily chuckled. "My Mom was kinda… God-crazy. She had this bible she read every night – no joke. She took verses and highlighted 'em. She had this picture a' Jesus being hung up on that cross right outside my room. It gave me night terrors. That's something I don't miss you know, that painting. I'm glad I don't have to see it anymore." Lily became so entranced thinking about that painting that she didn't notice the car stop, not at first anyway. Daryl thought that was the most Lily had ever said to him, so he didn't really know what to reply with, instead he just tapped her on the shoulder and stepped out of the car.

-Line Break-

The church was exactly what Daryl had expected it to be; it was big, and old, and had overgrown grass and garden beds full of blood red roses, the inside was as he expected as well; it was hot and sticky – the building being sans an air-con and the rays of early morning sun that filtered through the stain-glass windows cast the church in an eerie, dim lighting scheme. The whole place gave him the creeps and there was a quiet chatter among the church-goers. The two late-comers made their way down the rows, looking for a free spot to sit in. Daryl could feel a lot of eyes on him and Lily as they quietly made their way through full rows.

"Lily, Daryl." Someone whispered. Daryl and Lily turned at the sound of their names and Daryl felt a different kind of nervousness when he saw Carol sitting with Sophia at her side, he felt weird around Carol. She waved them over and patted the spot next to her. Daryl felt Lily grab his pants and tug him toward their neighbors. As they shuffled into the spot Lily and Sophia both whispered quick hellos and Daryl gave a grateful half-smile to Carol, who smiled back in return.

The service was as boring as could be and the Priest had a monotone voice; he was old and took about ten minutes to say one simple thing. The heat was really starting to bother Daryl, but it bothered the little ones more so and Lily had taken her sandals of in a fruitless attempt to cool down, Sophia had taken her shoes off as well and was swinging her feet a little, enjoying the little draft it created between her feet. Daryl guessed the heat was starting to bother Carol as well because she took the little hymn booklet and – quite discretely – fanned herself with it. It seemed like it would never end but soon enough Daryl found himself stumbling his way through the Concluding Rites.

The fresh air outside the church hit Daryl, Lily, Sophia and Carol in a refreshing wave and they all breathed out sighs of relief. The four moved around the side of the church to chatter, many of the church-attendees were gathered in small clusters, discussing the week's events.

Lily and Sophia started some nonsense game with each other and Daryl and Carol were left standing in the shade provided both by the side of the church and the rather large tree growing right next to it. Daryl kept his eyes on Carol, she was looking at the girls, who were running through the grass. It was then he noticed that she had a very nice smile, it was the kind of smile that you can tell is really genuine. You can always count on a person with a genuine kind of smile, he thought to himself. Just then she turned to him and sighed.

"I better get Sophia home soon, we might hit the road." Carol said, wrapping her arms around herself. Daryl nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, me 'nd Lily better get goin' too. Still got boxes all over the place." Daryl replied, he saw her face squish up in a sort of worrisome expression.

"You need any help?" She asked, turning fully to face him.

"Nah, just movin' boxes." He shrugged.

"Okay, but you need any help you just come over. I remember when me and Sophia moved, it was chaos. Trying to balance a kid and work and moving, it's harder than it looks," she chuckled. Daryl hadn't even thought about trying to balance work and Lily and moving until then. "So you need any help with _anything_, you just come across or send Lily across." Carol smiled kindly and Daryl felt his own lips twitching upward in an appreciative smile. They stayed smiling at each other for a few quiet moments.

"Well, uh, I'll let you get Sophia home, then." Daryl said after clearing his throat. Carol nodded.

"And I'll let you get back to Lily and your boxes." She waved and the two guardians collected up their respective children.

Lily and Sophia said goodbye and the two families turned toward their vehicles.

"It was nice seeing you again, Daryl." Carol waved and then most everyone jumped in their cars and dispersed into the streets.

* * *

Pajama clad Lily was lying on the sofa, her eyes felt heavy as she fought to keep them open. She was listening to Daryl talk on the phone, he was pacing around, listening rather intently to what the caller had to say, she heard her name get mentioned a few times but it was all rather dis-interesting so she took to closing her eyes and balling up on the sofa.

"_Hey there, lil' brother!" _Merle's voice crackled over the phone line, Merle hooted loudly.

" Hey, Merle." Daryl replied tersely. Since the whole Lily thing Daryl and Merle had been on some shaky ground and as much as Daryl felt bad for being angry at his brother, he felt pretty pissed about being landed with his kid.

"_What's good?" _Merle casually asked. Although Daryl knew Merle couldn't see him he shrugged.

"Just been movin' in." Was Daryl's clipped response. He heard Merle heave a sigh.

"_Ya getting' settled in, eh?" _Merle tried to keep a breezy tone, but it was evident he was becoming frustrated with his younger brother's curt responses. Daryl gave a quick 'mm-hm'.

"_Well, how's… things?" _Merle had been pretty reluctant to acknowledge Lily, not just in that particular phone call. But pretty much her existence as a whole.

"What sorta things?" Daryl coyly asked.

"_Well uh… How's the kid?" _Merle finally asked.

"Lily's fine, I guess. Quiet," Daryl began pacing the kitchen. "Ya could talk to 'er."

"_Nah, I don't get too long on the phones over here, 's expensive as well." _Merle chuckled without humor. Daryl peered around to see Lily falling asleep on the sofa.

"Gonna hafta go soon. Gotta tuck Lily in." Daryl said without thinking, Merle got a real hoot out of that. There was a good solid two minutes of laughter.

"_Hahaha, tuck in, Jesus baby bro. Do ya check for the Boogie-Man and make sure there's no monsters in the closet?" _Merle was having a real field day with it. Daryl decided he could handle no more of his brother's antics for the night.

"I gotta go." Daryl wished he could take back what he said about tucking in. He wished he could shove all his words back in his mouth.

"_A'ight, a'ight. Hey come visit me sometime, yeah?" _Merle sounded a bit hopeful. _"Oh – One more thing 'fore I go!" _

"Yeah?"

"_Don't forget to check under the bed! There's some nasty-ass monst-" _

Daryl hung up, he scooped Lily off the lounge as gently as he could and carried her toward her room. Flicking off the lights on the way out of the room, he carried her through the darkness and put her in bed.

* * *

**A.N: Yeah... That happened. Sorry, a lot of this was speech and also it was just blegh, all over blegh. ._. But I wanted to put Merle in somewhere and I did it. I think I want more Merle in this fic, but I dunno. Things shall hopefully be getting a bit Carylyer next chapter though! (If things go to plan, that is!). I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Very, very big thank yous to these people: Vickih, Prodigium, lismrox, ferrisbueller, Guest, LopezG, Shaniqua Nunyadambidness, Tinkerbell99 and Dee. Thank you guys for the absolutely SPARKLING reviews on chapter 3. **

**Thanks to all the followers and those who added this to favorites: ****BrucieBaby, EmbraceYourFREAK, Kabrinastar, Lisab876, LucyC-96, MSHK, Prodigium, Writingismypassions, adelicateflower08, Crystal2817, ferrisbueller, hockeydrmr9, lismrox, melniewn, Pharmtechgrl71, protonefrid, texasbelle91, tyffany86, vickih, tessuhhh, mcmannusdixon, bearhead, Tinkerbell99, Shaniqua Nunyadambidness. **

******Thanks again, everybody. You all encourage me and make me feel happy :).**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ohmygosh we're going to die." Lily whined, dramatically throwing herself onto the sofa, where she collapsed into a little ball; tucking her knees under her chin. It was only eight in the morning and Daryl could already feel a dull but rhythmic hammering in his head. He made a pained expression as he opened the kitchen cabinet. He could hear Lily saying something from the sofa but he wasn't paying attention.

_Gotta be something around here. _He thought, searching frantically through the kitchen cabinets. Lily abandoned her position on the sofa to join him in the kitchen, aiding him in ransacking the cabinets. Having searched everything about five times, Daryl and Lily gave up. Lily slumped down against the counter and Daryl sat beside her. The two each let out an exasperated huff.

_What were you supposed to feed kids? – _For the most part, he and Lily had been surviving off of Cup O' Noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It dawned on Daryl he'd probably have to go grocery shopping, have to find foods both he and Lily could eat and not break the bank in the process. The dull hammering in his skull suddenly amplified three fold as his tired mind tried its hardest to balance grocery shopping, a starving eleven year old and his slowly depleting bank balance.

_No. Pull your shit together. _He mentally ordered himself, his bones creaked and his head span as he lifted himself up off the ground. The Cup O' Noodles and PB&J streak had to end somewhere. Daryl gave himself a few moments of mental preparation, readying himself for the great task on which he was about to embark upon.

"Lily," Daryl helped Lily up off the ground. "We're goin' grocery shopping."

* * *

Sophia was a naturally curious little girl, she couldn't help but wonder about the strangest things. Another thing Sophia really liked to do was _observe. _Just watch things and see what happened. So to her curious, eleven year old mind, watching the Dixon house from her living room window didn't seem so crazy. The usually interesting morning cartoons had once again been abandoned in favor of the Dixon household and Sophia couldn't help but jump a little at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Sophia, are you watching the neighbors again?" Carol asked.

"No, I was just observing." Sophia answered innocently enough, hopping up and joining her mother at the small dining table, sparing only one last, parting glance toward the window. She pulled up a chair at the table and read the small piece of note paper her mother was scribbling on.

_Milk, bread, eggs, peanut butter, flour, apples, peaches…_

"Are we shopping today?" Sophia asked, furrowing her brow and redirecting her gaze from the list to her mother's face. Carol nodded and made an 'mmhmm' noise. Sophia groaned, she hated grocery shopping, it always took so long. It was so monotonous; going up aisle after aisle looking for boring old groceries.

"Okay, how's it look, Soph? Are we missing anything?" Carol slid the completed list across the table, waiting for Sophia to review it. Sophia added a few things to the bottom of the list and handed it back across the table to Carol and they decided that was enough. The pair headed out to the car and Sophia gave one last look at the Dixon house. She noticed that the car which was in the driveway just minutes ago was now absent. _I wonder where they went. _Sophia thought before hopping up into the car.

* * *

Plastic bags, shopping trolleys and scrawny teens sporting name-tags and uniforms was the best way to describe the view Daryl received upon entry to the small shopping center. The discontented howls of toddlers could be heard from pretty much every location in the store, and it was rivaled only by the sound of chattering adults. The shopping center wasn't quite hell, but to Daryl's anti-social mind it was the closest thing to it.

"This way," Lily gave a sharp tug on the hem of Daryl's shirt, steering him toward the trolley bay. He pulled the trolley out and wheeled it past a few aisles. Lily wondered if Daryl had ever been grocery shopping, she'd been grocery shopping a handful of times. She shrugged it off and instead took to scanning over the shelves for things they needed.

The closest Daryl had come to grocery shopping in his adult life was when he and Merle would duck into a 7-11 or stop in at a gas station when they needed something. He felt almost lost as he cruised down the aisles at the super market. Lily didn't look as confused and he figured it was best if she did most the shopping.

"Okay, Lil. Yer the expert here. Ya just grab the stuff ya need." Daryl explained. He'd let the kid grab what she needed and he'd grab what he needed. There was the obvious; coffee, bread and milk. He had to have that, he knew you could get some decent deodorant and shaving utensils at supermarkets, soap too. The only thing he was blank on was what Lily needed. So he figured it was best if she just grabbed whatever she needed.

Lily's eyes widened, she could buy whatever she wanted, whatever junk food her heart so desired, and Daryl would be none the wiser. _This is the best day of my life _she thought, her eyes scanning the supermarket for any snack foods that stood out.

"This aisle," she grabbed the end of the trolley and directed Daryl toward the snack food aisle. Clueless Daryl followed along behind Lily as she casually strolled down the aisle, occasionally tossing something in the trolley. "I need these cookies, oh but also these ones. Wow, I need some of this soda too. Hey Daryl, what's that? – Oh never mind, we'll just get four. "Lily coasted through the aisle. Daryl was beginning to become suspicious of Lily's shopping list.

"Ain't ya supposed to be havin'… fruit or somethin'?" Daryl asked as Lily led him down the dairy section. All she said was, "that's what the fruit roll ups are for" and then she kept walking. She added a big tub of ice-cream to the trolley.

"Calcium is important for my growth." Lily explained, Daryl nodded and let her put it in. They were just turning around when they knocked carts with someone else.

* * *

"Watch it." Daryl grumbled, looking from Lily to the controller of the rogue trolley which had bumped them. He wished he could take that back as soon as he saw Carol standing there. "Oh uh, shit sorry. My fault, that one was uh… sorry." He took a moment to compose himself.

"No, no that was my bad. Sorry, I kinda just rammed you guys, sorry." Carol apologized, and proceeded to apologize, quite profusely, for the next few minutes. There was a few moments where they didn't say anything to each other, Lily and Sophia were already chattering and giggling away. Daryl glanced at the contents of Carol's trolley and immediately felt quite sheepish. Lily had hustled him.

"Mom, can I take Lily to look at the toys?" Sophia asked. She didn't feel completely comfortable talking to her friend around her mother, and she certainly didn't feel comfortable within a ten foot radius of Daryl. Carol sighed.

"You'll have to ask Daryl if he's okay with it." Carol glanced from the two girls to Daryl expectantly. Lily gave Daryl a pleading look and he buckled, nodding in consent. He actually felt sort of relieved to have the kid out of his hair for fifteen minutes. Now he just had to deal with the groceries. He began depositing the various junk foods back onto the shelves from whence they came, grumbling about how Lily was a damn rogue and how she was going to age him. "I think you just got hustled by an eleven year old." Carol chuckled as she came to help him make sense of the trolley.

Sophia led Lily through the labyrinth of aisles in the supermarket toward the section where they would find the toys.

"I can't believe you were allowed to buy all that junk food! My Mom would never let me do something like that." Sophia's eyes were nearly popping out of her head at the idea. Lily giggled and picked up a pack of crayons. for inspection.

"Well… Daryl kinda doesn't do a whole lotta shopping so I got put in charge." Lily and Sophia couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think Daryl's _ever _been grocery shopping. No kidding." Lily added, cocking her head to the side in thought. Sophia mumbled a quick phrase of agreement and the two continued perusing the trinkets on display.

"Can I interest you in a flyer?" Sophia and Lily spun on their heels to face a little boy about their age, he had some flyers in his hands. He sounded like he was talking from a script but the girls didn't say anything.

"What's it for?" Lily asked, stepping forward to take one for herself and then handing one to Sophia. The little boy looked at them.

"It's raising money for the police and council and stuff. My Dad's a sheriff and he's in charge of it. It's gonna be really good and there'll be rides and games! It's tomorrow, at the fairgrounds." The little boy no longer sounded like he was reading from a script and his previously monotone voice had taken on an excited tone. "So, are you guys gonna go?" The boy finally asked. Sophia squeaked out a little 'I'll ask my Mom' while Lily nodded in confirmation and said 'yeah, sure'. The little boy told them he hoped to see them there and then whizzed off passed them.

* * *

Carol and Daryl caught up with Sophia and Lily before going through the checkout and they headed toward their respective vehicles, each carrying bags of groceries. Daryl couldn't help but notice that Carol struggled somewhat, she had a lots of heavy stuff to carry. He paused in the middle of the lot.

"Here," he took a few of the heavier bags from her. "Where ya parked?" He asked, his gaze scanning across the lot. Carol was quite lost for words, she couldn't recall the last time someone other than Sophia might have helped her with such a trivial task.

"We're just over here." Carol hurried over to the car, Sophia and the Dixons in tow. She quickly opened the trunk and Daryl none-too-delicately placed the bag inside. Sophia quickly dumped the bags she was carrying and began chatting with Lily, the two girls whispered excitedly. Carol turned to Daryl and thanked him for her help. The families were about to part ways when Sophia and Lily took center stage.

"Mom, look at this!" Sophia beamed, handing the flyer she had received earlier over to her mother. Carol gave it a quick look over. Lily handed her flyer to Daryl and he glanced over it.

"Looks like fun, you wanna go?" She asked Sophia. Sophia nodded excitedly and looked at Lily.

"Can we go, Daryl?" Lily asked, her eyes big and hopeful. He nodded and mumbled something along the lines of, "Don't see why not." The two girls started jumping up and down, squealing with joy and giggling. Daryl didn't see what the big fuss was.

"Daryl, you and Lily could go with us. I mean, if you like. We could all drive over tomorrow morning and then let the girls hang out there for the day." Carol suggested, she didn't know why she felt so nervous asking him. Daryl nodded and shrugged casually.

"Sure, see ya tomorrow."

_Really, a fair? – What had he gotten himself into?_

* * *

***Bangs head against wall* I'm sorry. That is all. This was... I... This is quite terrible and I should have updated sooner. Sorry, everyone for the delay. Also still so sorry about that chapter 4 mix up, that's fixed now. So I wanted more Caryl in this chapter but I've decided to hold off 'til next chapter, which hopefully will be a Caryl fest! Oh, and hopefully an upcoming Merle filled chapter! (Both of which I am super excited to write and will probably be posted quite quickly!) Also this A.N was really long, sorry for that too. I feel like a rambling douche-bag when I write these ._. **

**Thanks much to: Prodigium, LopezG, Mione, Bearhead and Guest for the reviews on chapter 4. 'Tis appreciated. **

**Thanks also to the favoriters and followers: vickih, tessuhh, lismrox, adelicateflower08, Writingismypassions, Stacey73, LucyC-96, vickih, tiffany86, texasbelle91, smolderhalderxo, protonefrid, pharmtechgrl71, nanashipsCARYL, melniewn, mmcmannusdixon, hockeydrmr9, ferrisbueller, crystal2817, bearhead, Tinkerbell99, Shaniqua Nunyadambidness, Prodigium, Mione788, MSHK, Lisab876, Kabrinastar, EmbraceyourFREAK, Creed757, BrucieBaby.**

**Thanks for not throwing bricks at me (so far). **

**~Boo~**


	6. Chapter 6

"_What looks good, lil' bro?" Merle hoisted his young companion up of the ground and placed the kid on his shoulders. _

_Atop his older brother's shoulders__,__ Daryl felt like he was at the highest place in the world. He could see everything from there. Daryl's eyes swept over the fairground. _

"_Pettin' zoo!" Daryl declared, yanking on Merle's hair (which had been quite curly at the time). Merle headed over toward the petting zoo, all the while balancing a four-year-old Daryl on his shoulders. Once they reached their destination Daryl scrambled down to the ground to see the animals. _

"_Safe t' pet?" Daryl asked, reaching out his hand to one of the animals. _

"_Yeah, 's a petting zoo, ain't it? – Go on, give 'im a pat." Merle shrugged. Daryl's eyes lit up like it was Christmas and he petted each of the animals in turn. _

"Daryl? You listening?" Lily's voice rang in, effectively jerking Daryl out of his thoughts and snapping him into the present. Shit, he hadn't been listening for the past two minutes. His blank expression must have been answer enough for Lily. "I said, did you ever go to the fair?" She placed her elbows on the dining table and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"Yeah, when I was real little. Don't 'member it too good, 'cept for the petting zoo." Daryl answered. He and Lily sat in silence for a few seconds before she started up about how excited she was for the fair and how she'd never been to one before. _Damn it, that stupid fair thing is happening today. _Daryl winced. He glanced at the clock that hung on the kitchen wall, by the looks of things they had about fifteen minutes before they were due to see Carol and Sophia. Daryl, to say the least, was less than excited to attend the fair. He never really got the appeal; flashing lights, obnoxiously loud games, screaming children and game-runners trying to con you out of your money. Sure, the fair was plenty fun if you wanted to go blind, deaf and broke. He heaved a sigh and began stacking the dirty dishes from breakfast in the sink. He'd do them later.

Lily jumped out of her chair. "We should go wait out the front for Sophia and her Mom." Feeling overly excited, Lily jumped up and down on the spot. Daryl reluctantly agreed to waiting out the front.

-Line Break-

Sophia could barely contain her excitement, she thought she was actually going to explode. She jumped up and down by the window.

"Mom! Mom! Lily's ready! Lily's ready!" Extending her index finger, Sophia pointed at the house across the street. Carol couldn't help but chuckle at Sophia's excitement, she came to stand behind her daughter at the window. Surely enough, there they were. Lily was animatedly talking to Daryl while he nodded his head and glanced toward Carol and Sophia's house. Carol felt Sophia tugging on her arm.

"Okay, okay c'mon. Grab a jacket though, it'll get cold later." Carol instructed her daughter and the two slipped out the door.

The cool morning air was refreshing and made Carol feel wide awake, the trees on the front lawn swayed gently with the breeze and the only sound was the humming of cicadas, Sophia waved Lily over and soon the two families all stood united on Carol and Sophia's front lawn. The two girls waited expectantly next to their respective guardian. There was a quick exchange of 'good mornings' between the group before they got into things.

"Okay, your car or mine?" Carol asked. Daryl took a moment to debate before realizing they wouldn't all fit in his truck, unless two people wanted to ride in the truck bed, which he highly doubted.

"Won't all fit in mine." He piped up, glancing over at the truck parked in his driveway. Carol followed his gaze, she squinted against the bright rays of morning light and her eyes finally landed on Daryl's truck. She nodded, there was no way they'd all fit in that tiny truck. Carol ushered everyone toward the car, she slipped into the driver's seat and Daryl the passenger's side seat. The girls sat in the back and chattered away excitedly about what they wanted to do and what they didn't want to do, and what they'd never tried. Carol reversed out of the driveway and drove toward the fairground.

* * *

Daryl was almost completely distracted by how clean Carol's car was. It was the most spotless, cleanly car he'd ever been in and he felt slightly out of place in it, soon enough though the car rolled to a slow stop and the two girls jumped out first, followed by the adults. There, just through the gates, was the fair. Just as Daryl had predicted it; flashing lights, obnoxiously loud games, screaming children and game-runners trying to con him out of his money. None the less, he pressed onward.

Sophia and Lily seemed pretty pleased with the fair. Their eyes were nearly popping out of their heads as they scanned over the fairgrounds, they grabbed each other by the hand and promptly began running from one booth to another, investigating each of the games. It was decided that the teacups was first on their checklist of things to check out and Daryl was pretty pleased with that. It gave him five minutes without having to listen to either of the girls squawking at each other and it was only a buck fifty for the whole five minutes. As soon as the girls were out of earshot Carol heaved a sigh.

"I have no clue where they get all that energy from," she chuckled, smiling brightly at Daryl, who was nodding slowly in agreement. Carol returned her gaze to the girls, who were now sitting in their own little teacup together. "They seem to be enjoying themselves, though." Carol observed.

"Don't get what's so fun 'bout it myself, I mean, spinnin' 'round in one of them lil' tea-cups." Daryl crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one side, he could see Lily waving at him and smiling. When he looked back at Carol she looked positively gobsmacked.

"You've never been on teacups?" She asked, her head flicking back and forth between Daryl and the teacups ride. He answered with a simple, 'nope' and went back to watching the slow-moving ride. "Well, we're going to have to fix that." The corners of Carol's mouth tugged up into a mischievous smile. Daryl raised his eyebrows, what was she implying? The two fell into a comfortable silence with Carol glancing at Daryl every now and then, or him glancing at her, or both of them waving to the girls. The five minutes ended and the girls jumped off the ride.

"Again! Again!" They cheered in unison, looking to their respective guardians with wide and hopeful eyes. Daryl and Carol agreed to let them go on the teacups one more time. This time, however, Daryl would be going with them.

* * *

Daryl wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh hysterically or curl up in the foetal position and cry. Slowly spinning around in a giant, rainbow coloured teacup was simply not enjoyable. The fact that Lily and Sophia wouldn't shut up was also irritating and hilarious all at once. From their teacup they waved at Carol and as soon as the excruciating five minute spin was over, Daryl jumped (a little too eagerly) from their teacup and ran to Carol, the girls in tow. Lily and Sophia led the adults over to another ride they wanted to try and the adults were once again glad to have the children out of their hair for a few moments. Carol waved to Sophia as she and Lily were strapped into the ride.

"You have to admit, you looked pretty badass in that teacup." Carol jested, struggling to stifle her laughter. Daryl was quite shocked, he didn't expect a word like 'badass' to come out of Carol's mouth, then again, he also didn't expect her to have him forcibly ride the teacups.

"I guess it wasn't my cup a' tea." Daryl immediately wished he hadn't said that. Bad jokes, really? What was he doing? He was relieved and surprised when Carol laughed.

"Were you making a joke, Daryl?" Carol giggled, turning her body fully to face him, he nodded and she laughed again. Daryl willed himself to think of another joke, if only so he could make Carol laugh again, but he couldn't think of one so he just stood there like an idiot, watching the girls scream and giggle as the ride flung them about this way and that. The ride ended and the two girls – who looked quite shaken – managed to stumble their way over to the adults. All four agreed perhaps it was best if no more rides were ridden for a while and opted instead to check out the games area.

"That one with the darts looks cool!" Lily exclaimed, she'd never seen so many games or so many toys in one place.

"We should play." Sophia enthused, a bright smile appearing on her face. Carol and Daryl nodded and let the youngsters lead them over to the darts booth. They paid the guy at the booth, three dollars for five darts, and the girls set off to win a prize. Lily had never played a dart booth before, so she was pretty lousy at it, Sophia was also rather terrible but they looked like they were having fun.

"Oh gosh, that one actually hit the target!" Lily giggled when one of her darts hit the board.

"You've gone pro!" Sophia replied, tossing another dart at the board.

"Yeah, you can be my partner, though. Synchronized dart throwing is all the rage, nowadays." Lily nodded, her face completely serious. Daryl was finding it quite difficult to follow their banter, it just didn't make much sense to him at all and so he watched them in silence. He was actually starting to tune out.

"Daryl, you have a go!" So much for tuning out. His eyes snapped down to Lily. He mumbled a quick 'huh?' and Lily repeated herself. "Have a go, it'll be fun! You'd be real good at it, I bet!" Lily tugged on the hem of his shirt.

"Mom, you should have a go too!" Sophia suggested. Carol looked at Daryl and shrugged. Why not?

Five minutes later, Daryl was crowned King of the Darts. Five for five, he'd landed every dart almost straight on the bullseye. The girls were pretty impressed with the display and clapped and cheered, he felt odd having so much praise for something so insignificant. He was also loaded with prizes, which he felt embarrassed about. He was quick to pawn off the stuffed animals to the girls. He handed Lily a little rag-doll, Sophia was given a little toy panda bear and Carol was awarded a stuffed frog.

"You don't want them?" Carol asked as the small group navigated their way through the labyrinth of games. Daryl shook his head.

"Ain't got much use for 'em." He shrugged, watching Lily and Sophia chatter excitedly to each other. He and Carol followed along behind the two girls, letting them take the lead.

* * *

Dusk was setting in and the fairgrounds had quieted down, most the families had left several hours ago but of course Lily and Sophia had to stay and enjoy it right to the very last possible second. Presently, Lily and Sophia were snoring away, being carried across the parking lot toward the car. Lily had her legs and arms wrapped around Daryl, she was clinging to him like a koala bear. Sophia was clinging to Carol in much the same way. Gently, the two adults deposited the girls into the back seat before buckling them in. They shut the car door and stood in the parking lot, enjoying the fresh air and soft lighting.

"Are you in any hurry to get home?" Carol asked, wrapping her arms around herself. Daryl shook his head no.

"You got somethin' you gotta do?" He wondered, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Not really, it's just that the sunset looks really nice from here," Carol turned so she was facing the setting sun, Daryl followed her gaze and he had to admit that it did look pretty good from where they were. "It's kinda stupid, I know. We can go if you want." She finished, kicking at the ground a bit. Daryl honestly didn't mind staying, he told Carol so and she looked delighted to hear it. The two stood next to each other, not looking at each other, just watching the sun disappear behind the treetops. Carol cast a quick glance back to the girls.

"I'm glad Sophia's got a friend like Lily." She said with a nod.

"Yeah, 'm glad Lily's got Sophia. Maybe some a' yer girl's good manners will rub off on Lily." Daryl mused, his eyes still fixed on the sinking sun.

"Lily's a nice girl, she's very sweet. You raised her well." Carol thought aloud. Daryl felt a pang in his chest.

"Ain't raised 'er, 'm just mindin' her for the summer." Daryl insisted, feeling a need to correct Carol. Daryl didn't think he was particularly good with children anyway and he was sure if he had raised Lily her entire life, she'd probably be a little more messed up. Carol nodded.

"So, where's Lily's parents?" Carol asked, her face squishing up as she thought. Daryl really didn't want to tell people about Merle's whereabouts, he especially didn't want to tell Carol. She was the closest thing he'd really ever had to a friend – besides Merle – and he didn't want to go screw it up now. He decided to answer as vaguely as possible.

"Uh, her Mom's gone, her Daddy… he's just busy with some stuff. What about Sophia's Daddy? Where's he at?" Daryl changed the topic. He was actually genuinely curious to hear about Sophia's father. Daryl imagined a woman like Carol living with a nice guy in a nice house with their nice little girl, but Carol didn't wear a wedding band or anything.

"He's dead." Carol deadpanned, shrugging it off. Daryl fidgeted, he was glad Carol was looking at the sunset and not at him.

"'M sorry." Daryl mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Carol shrugged again.

"Don't be, I'm not. It was a long time ago and I wasn't upset. He… for a long time, he hurt me – and I let him… he wasn't a nice guy… not in the end, anyway." Carol smiled sadly, she glanced briefly at Daryl, who had been watching her with rapt attention. The two let silence settle in as they watched the last of the light disappear, leaving them in the cool evening air. Suddenly, Carol said something, "It's so peaceful here... I feel quiet." Daryl wanted to say you can't _feel _quiet, but he couldn't.

Because he felt quiet too.

* * *

**A.N: I'm sorry! This was just... My feels got the better of me. Anyway, happy (belated) Easter, I hope you all had a delightful day! **

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Please don't bludgeon me with bricks. I felt very iffy on that last part, so I hope it wasn't too dodgy. Next chapter should be up soon. **

**Thank you for your sparkly reviews on chapter 5: mcmannusdixon, LopezG, texasbelle91, pharmtechgrl71, vickih and Mione788. **

**Thanks muchly to all the people who favorite and/or follow my story: vickih, tessuhhh, lismrox, cthammons, adelicateflower08, Writingismypassions, Stacey73, LucyC-96, BrucieBaby, Creed757, EmbraceYourFREAK, KabrinaStar, Lisab876, MSHK, Mione788, , Prodigium, Shaniqua Nunyadambidness, Tinkerbell99, bearhead, crystal2817, ferrisbueller, hockeydrmr9, lilhanna, melniewn, naenurse, nanashipsCARYL, protonefrid, smolderhalderxo, texasbelle91 and tyffany86. **

**~Boo~**


	7. Chapter 7

**(Chapter for Haughtystalk).**

**Chapter 7: **

Daryl leaned on the kitchen counter morning light streamed through the open window and illuminated the kitchen. Daryl much preferred natural light over turning on actual lights or lamps and the summer sun never failed to light up the house. Lily sat on her knees at a chair by the dining table, a crayon in one hand and her coloring book in front of her, the day was shaping out like any other; the air was humid and heavy and the sun was glaring down at them. Lily pushed aside her coloring book to make room for the bowl of cereal Daryl was bringing to the table for her. He placed it in front of her before taking his own seat across from her.

"Any plans fer the day?" Daryl asked around a mouthful of coffee. He was getting in the habit of finding out what Lily had in store for him. She just shook her head.

"Prob'ly just play with Sophia or something." She answered as she munched on her cereal. Daryl nodded at that and placed his coffee mug on the table with a soft thud. The two settled into a comfortable silence for a few moments. Daryl sighed and slouched in his seat, he felt tired and the day was only just starting, it was a feeling he was getting used to though. Daryl straightened up in his seat and his ears perked up when he heard knocking on the door.

"Comin'!" Daryl called, unenthusiastically pulling himself from his seat and heading toward the front door with Lily in tow. He knew it would probably just be Carol and Sophia so he didn't make any great rush to get to the door. When Daryl opened the door, he was surprised to see it wasn't Carol or Sophia.

Standing on the front porch was a young woman with dark haired woman with dreads . Daryl noticed she was also balancing a fussy toddler on her hip. Daryl expected no such company and he momentarily wondered if perhaps she had stumbled upon the wrong address. The only people that ever came over were Sophia and Carol. He stared at the woman and toddler for a moment, Lily hid behind Daryl but made some faces at the toddler.

"Hi, I'm Michonne," the woman introduced herself, the toddler started giggling, "and this is Andre, we live just up the street." Michonne finished. _Okay, great. What are you doing at my house? _Daryl thought to himself. Michonne took his silence as her cue to keep talking. "We're having a get together tonight, a party of sorts, I'm inviting pretty much the whole street and I thought you might like to come."

Daryl didn't know what to say to that one, he wasn't the most sociable of types and he knew he probably wouldn't go. The lady told him which house she was at and what time it would be around, Daryl told her he'd try to stop by although he didn't think he'd go. He was about to shut the door when he saw Sophia and Carol coming up the pathway that lead to his front door.

"Uh, good morning, Mr Dixon." Sophia said in a small voice, she looked at her sneakers and only glanced up through her eye lashes.

"Mornin'. You lookin' fer Lily?" Daryl asked, Sophia nodded and looked past Daryl to Lily. Daryl decided he'd invite Carol in for something to drink and scoot out of Lily and Sophia's way, let them do their own thing.

* * *

Lily led Sophia through the side-gate to the back yard, where they usually played together. The overgrown grass had still not been mowed and it tickled Lily and Sophia's legs as they walked. Lily found a shady spot under a large tree to sit and she sat cross legged on the grass, Sophia quickly followed suit.

"What should we play?" Lily asked, her eyes scanning across the yard for something to do. Lily didn't have any toys in her yard; no swings or see-saws or slides. The only thing she had was overgrown grass, a crap ton of space, garden beds full of dead flowers and a lot of trees.

"We could play tag, but it's kinda hot for running." Sophia chimed in. She plucked a handful of grass from the lawn and shredded it. Lily did the same, she dusted her hands off and the shredded grass flittered to the ground.

"Yeah. Hey, we could do some gardening." Lily suggested,glancing toward the lackluster garden beds and changing position so she was lying on her stomach, facing Sophia. She swung her legs back and forth as she thought.

"Yeah! We could fix up the garden beds!" Sophia agreed, nodding her head and smiling brightly. Sophia loved to garden and had a very nice garden in her own yard. Sophia's mother did most of the gardening though because as much as Sophia enjoyed gardening, she had no clue what she was doing most the time.

"Alright! Let's go. I know there are garden tools in the shed and we'll need lots of water to grow the plants, so we'll need the hose." Lily jumped to her feet and dusted any grass or dirt off of herself, Sophia jumped up next to her.

"We don't have any seeds to plant, though." Sophia said, following Lily to the shed. Lily thought about this for a moment, she needed a place to get seeds and she knew Daryl certainly didn't leave flower seeds lying around the house.

"We could just take seeds out of the fruit in the kitchen. I bet that would work fine." Lily shrugged, Sophia nodded in agreement and the two girls set off to find the necessary tools to garden.

* * *

Daryl and Carol sat at the kitchen counter. Outside they could hear the girls chattering away and every now and then a muffled crashing or thumping sound followed by giggles. Carol sipped tentatively at her coffee and placed her mug on the table for a moment.

"So, are you going to Michonne's tonight?" She asked. Michonne was a good neighbour and friend to Carol, they'd known each other for quite a while and Carol always enjoyed going to one of Michonne's summer parties. Daryl mulled it over for a moment.

"Dunno yet, thinkin' 'bout it," he replied. Carol nodded. "You gonna go?" He wondered. He thought that just maybe if Carol went, he might go. He didn't want to go if he didn't know anyone, the idea of being crammed into a yard in the middle of summer with a bunch of strangers didn't appeal to him.

"Yeah, Michonne always does a little get together around this time of year. Me and Sophia always go. They're really cool." Carol smiled brightly, it was that nice genuine smile that Daryl really liked and he couldn't help but smile a little himself.

"I might just have to swing by then." Daryl said, shifting a little in his seat so he was sitting more upright.

"You should! It's always so much fun." Carol encouraged him. She knew he didn't really like being around people and he practically radiated socially awkward, but she thought it would be a nice way to get to spend some time with him outside of discussing Lily and Sophia. "She always has something set up for the kids to do and then things for the grown-ups to do." Carol explained. Daryl nodded. Just then, the back door swung open and the girls whizzed into the kitchen. Lily grabbed a few apples and threw some other fruits to Sophia. Daryl and Carol raised their eyebrows.

"Notimetoexplain!" Lily and Sophia hurriedly shouted and rushed back out the door, letting it slam behind them. Carol and Daryl looked at each other with confused expressions.

"That wasn't at all suspicious." Carol said sarcastically, blinking a few times in confusion.

"Not at all." Daryl mumbled in agreement. The two adults continued to chatter away about nothing in particular, neither Daryl or Carol seemed to mind the constant change in conversation or the occasional silences. Carol thought that Daryl was very easy to talk to, and very good at listening as well. It was nice to talk to someone who understood what you were trying to say, Carol was really hoping he would go to Michonne's so they could talk more. The pair didn't even realize how late it had gotten or how long they'd been talking until the light filling the kitchen had significantly dimmed to an orange glow. Carol glanced at her wrist watch and realized she'd have to be leaving for Michonne's soon.

"Oh! Look at the time! I didn't even realize how late it was. I better get going." Carol got up from her seat and headed out to collect Sophia. Daryl followed her to the yard.

* * *

"Ho-lee-shit." Daryl muttered more to himself than anyone else. Carol nodded.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Carol mumbled in return, her gaze also fixed on the two mud-covered girls. Sophia and Lily had practically torn the garden apart beyond recognition; dead leaves and crushed sticks and branches lay scattered in unorganized piles, everything was covered in mud – the girls included – and it looked like they had smashed up all the fruit and buried it in shallow holes in the garden beds.

"We're gardeners." Lily stated matter-of-factually, Sophia bobbed her head in agreement and picked some mud out of her hair. The two girls fell into hysterics and couldn't stop giggling. Daryl and Carol were lost for words.

"Is it time to go?" Sophia asked her Mom. Carol nodded and Sophia's face fell. Lily assured Sophia she could come over another day and they could finish the garden together. The two girls skipped around through the side gate together and waited on the front lawn for Carol and Daryl, who stayed behind in the yard.

"Sorry about your garden." Carol surveyed the immediate area, taking in the wreckage. Daryl honestly didn't seem to care at all and shrugged, he didn't even give the yard a second glance.

"Was just dirt, now 's just mud. It'll dry, I'll hose it away." He almost wanted to laugh, the garden was probably actually looking in better shape than it was before the girls got to it. Carol couldn't believe Daryl's level of calmness, she would have been so sad if something happened to her garden. "Lily's probably gonna be harder to get clean than the garden." Daryl admitted with a chuckle.

"Yeah, getting mud out of Sophia's hair is going to be really hard." Carol giggled and brought her hand to her mouth to quiet her laughter and cover her smile. Daryl didn't like when she did that, he liked it when she smiled and he didn't like her covering it up. He instantly kicked himself for thinking something so… _Mushy. _

"Sorry 'bout your daughter's hair." Daryl said as he and Carol began walking toward the side gate.

"Don't be. Little dirt never hurt." Carol said in a sing-song voice. She and Daryl walked the remaining distance to the front lawn and Sophia and Lily went to their respective guardians. The four stood at the edge of the lawn and said their goodbyes, Carol couldn't help but think about how long it was going to take to get Sophia clean for Michonne's party that night.

"Well, uh… see ya." Daryl said to Carol. Carol nodded and wrapped her arm around Sophia, drawing the girl closer. Carol looked at Daryl for a few seconds.

"Um, Daryl," Carol began, catching Daryl's attention. "I hope you come to Michonne's tonight, I mean… I'd very much like to see you there." Carol finished, she could feel the tips of her ears burning and she didn't know why. Daryl swallowed and nodded and Carol said a final good evening before she and Sophia retreated to their home across the road. Daryl turned to Lily and sighed.

"Go on and get cleaned up, get some clean clothes on, do yer hair, make yaself all nice." Daryl instructed the youngster. She furrowed her brow.

"Why?" She wandered. Daryl heaved another sigh.

"We're goin' to a party."**  
**

* * *

**A.N: Okay, whew. Chapter seven. I want to apologize for the lack of updating, I'm very sorry and I hope I haven't discouraged any of you guys from reading. I update when I can, but school is back and it's kicking my butt. This chapter is a little... lacking something. I dunno, I had fun writing it so I hope you have fun reading it. It's not very great, sorry again, I think I'm getting rusty, be gentle. **

**Chapter six got some super nice reviews, so thank you very much to: Mione788, pharmtechgrl71, vickih, Guest, Laurie, crazstiz, Prodigium, Lismrox and Zombieslayer5. Ya'll are so nice. **

**Oh, also, a guest by the name of Laurie asked about what Carol and Daryl do for work! I'm sorry it's not in the fic, I promise work will come into things but for the moment, I like to imagine that Carol would take some time off to spend with Sophia and I imagine Daryl would take time off as well so he could get to know Lily. Cop out explanation, I know, but trust me they'll be back to work soon enough! Sorry I haven't included it yet and thank you, Laurie, for the question. **

**Another reviewer, Crazstiz, asked if Lily was going to see Merle any time soon. I am currently thinking about how I will bring him into things, how much of a chapter I should dedicate to such an affair, etc, etc. If anyone has anything they'd like to see I'd really love for ya'll to give me a shout.**

**Sorry for the long A.N and kinda sucky-but-fun-too-write chapter. Next chapter: Michonne's party! **

**Thank you to those who favorite/follow, it means the world: BrucieBaby, Creed757, EmbraceYourFREAK, Kabrinastar, Lisab876, LucyC-96, MSHK, Mione788, , Prodigium, Shaniqua Nunyadamnbidness, Stacey73, Tinkerbell99, Writingismypassions, adelicateflower08, bearhead, crystal2817, ferrisbueller, green angel01, hockeydrmr9, lilhanna, lismrox, mcmannusdixon, melniewn, mvio, naenurse, nanashipsCARYL, pharmtechgrl71, protonefrid, smolderhalderxo, texasbell91, tyffany86, vickih, , cthammons, tessuhhh and Zombieslayer5. **


	8. Chapter 8

"Come on, Mom!" Sophia called as she danced across the lawn, her dress twirling this way and that with her movements and the ribbon in her hair flittering with the breeze. Carol gently removed her key from the lock on the front door. She fell into a light jog until she met Sophia at the edge of the lawn. "You took forever!" Sophia groaned, flailing her arms in the air to make a point. Carol shook her head and giggled. She and Sophia began walking toward Michonne's house, casting long shadows as they walked.

They padded across the soft, green grass of the lawn toward the house and Sophia cheerfully bounced up the stairs on the front porch before ringing the bell. Carol quickly joined her daughter on the porch and they waited a few moments, Michonne quickly appeared at the door.

"Come in, come in!" Michonne greeted the two, stepping to the side so they could enter the house. As soon as Carol stepped into the foyer she could hear the music being emitted from the back yard, she estimated that its volume would rise as the night wore on. Michonne bent down to become eye level with Sophia. "I've got the kid's stuff set up just down the hall in the sitting room, none of the other kids are here yet but if I were you, I'd be getting first dibs on the T.V. and candy." She advised. Sophia looked at her mother for permission and when Carol nodded Sophia bounced off down the hallway, leaving her mother and Michonne alone.

"Do you still need any help with setting up or anything?" Carol offered, she was always ready to lend a helping hand.

"No, no. We just have to wait for everyone to arrive now."

* * *

He tried to remember who had talked him into this. Had it been Carol or himself? Either way, Daryl Dixon found himself attending a party. He hated parties, they were too loud and they always ran too long. He estimated that Michonne's party would be tamer than any other he had attended. The last party Daryl went to was with his older brother and he had only gone because he knew Merle would need a ride home. He was jerked from his thoughts when he heard Lily's voice.

"I didn't know you owned anything with sleeves." She said, nodding her head toward the flannel shirt Daryl had changed into several minutes ago. Daryl shrugged and stood up from his seat on the sofa. He and Lily exited the house and began walking down the street together. "Seriously, what's with the sleeves? You look like a lumber jack." She said, quirking her brow. Daryl glanced down at Lily from the corner of his eye and gave her a tired expression which caused her to fall into a fit of hysterical giggles. She didn't seem to care so much about her question anymore. She suddenly stopped laughing and her head snapped up to view the house they were standing in front of. "Is this the house!?" She asked with her voice full of excitement and her eyes wide. Daryl nodded and Lily sprinted across the lawn and waited for Daryl on the porch, he trailed along after her and quickly came to join her. Lily pressed the doorbell two times. then they waited.

"Daryl! So glad you could make it, come in." The woman who had earlier stood on Daryl's front porch had opened the door. She smiled at Lily and stepped to the side so her guests could enter. Daryl shuffled awkwardly on the spot and Lily stood next to him doing the same thing. A familiar face peeked around the corner and Lily smiled, it was Sophia.

"Lily! Come on, there's heaps of games up this a' ways." Sophia beamed, grabbing her friend's arms. She suddenly became aware of Daryl's presence. "Oh, h-hi, Mister Dixon, my Momma was looking for you before," Sophia waited for him to respond but he just nodded. "I like your sleeves, by the way." Sophia finished before whizzing off with Lily. Daryl shook his head but couldn't help smiling.

"Everyone else is out in the back yard," Michonne said, pointing toward the direction of the back door. Daryl muttered some quick thanks and walked off toward the yard.

* * *

Carol reclined back in the lawn chair, she wasn't really counting on Daryl coming, but she sort of hoped he'd show up. Most the other guests had arrived and the once-empty yard now housed a rather thick crowd. Carol looked up at the stars and closed her eyes for a moment, it wasn't even late yet and she was already tired. She heard someone pull up a seat next to her and cracked an eye to see who it was.

"Daryl! You came!" She suddenly felt a bit livelier and sat up in her seat. She immediately mentally chided herself for sounding like some overly-attached weirdo. "I uh, I'm glad you decided to come." She nodded, folding her hands in her lap.

"Yeah well, said I'd try 'nd stop by." He shrugged, he was a squirmy kinda guy and didn't sit still in his seat. He didn't like being around people, especially people he didn't know. They all seemed to be looking at him and it made him fidgety. He didn't know if he and Carol were supposed to make conversation or not but she seemed comfortable to sit in silence and he was okay with that, he didn't really do the small talk thing very well anyways. He was okay to just sit there with her, sometimes he would look at her and sometimes he would just people watch and see what other people were doing. Carol would occasionally say something and then take a sip from the glass of wine Michonne had insisted she have and he would say something in return and that would be enough.

"Oh my gosh, Carol!" Someone called. Daryl's gaze snapped away from Carol to see a woman leading what looked like her husband or boyfriend through the crowd and toward them. Carol smiled brightly at the two approaching people.

"Lori! It's been too long!" She jumped up to hug the woman before sitting down. The man with Lori pulled a few lawn chairs around so he and Lori could sit as well.

"I know, like, a whole month without seeing you! We need to get together sometime!" Lori grinned, Carol nodded in agreement. Lori's eyes flicked to Daryl, who was quietly observing the scene. "Who's this?" Lori leaned in and took her voice down.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't introduce everyone. Lori, Rick, this is my friend Daryl. Daryl, these are my friends Lori and Rick." Carol introduced everyone to each other and Rick shook Daryl's hand, some of the awkwardness almost seemed to dissolve from the situation. Everyone mumbled pleasantries; 'good to meet you' and 'how do you do' before conversation moved along.

"So, how long have you and Daryl been dating?" Lori asked, her gaze flickering between the two. Carol couldn't believe Lori thought they were dating. Daryl looked equally surprised, his eyes were damn near exploding out of his head. Carol liked Daryl, he was nice and all, definitely very caring and sweet, good looking no doubt, but _dating _him. Uh-uh, she hadn't dated in a long time, she chose instead to focus on being a good Mom to Sophia, and she was sure Daryl had his hands full with Lily. He'd never want to date her… right?

"We're just friends." Carol nervously chuckled, Daryl bobbed his head in agreement. He knew he would always remain just a friend with Carol, he was sure she barely even paid him any mind.

"Oh, sorry about that. You guys just looked really… " Lori trailed off. Daryl wanted to tell Lori to finish her sentence, but just sat quietly beside Carol. "Anyway, how have you been lately?" Lori asked. And then conversation just drifted away to other things like work and house payments and all those conversational topics that aren't always particularly fun, but fill the silence. Daryl and Rick quietly observed the chattering women and occasionally exchanged small comments. Rick would say something and Daryl would agree and they'd go back and forward like that for a time before settling back into silence.

"Well, we'd better be off, see you later, Carol!" Lori called, standing from her seat. "Come on, Rick!" She tugged her husband away from his seat. Daryl gave an almost sympathetic look toward Rick, poor guy. He quickly returned his attention to Carol. She was still chuckling to herself about something Lori had said. She glanced down at her wrist watch.

"It's getting late." She announced. Daryl looked around and noticed that most of the crowd had thinned out at this point, there were a few late-stayers, it looked like Lori and Rick were on their way out too. "I think I should get going." Carol said, Daryl grunted as means of reply before standing. He helped Carol out of her seat and the two began walking toward the house to collect Sophia and Lily.

The two girls apparently weren't tired because they were giggling and leaping around the room when Daryl and Carol got there.

"We going now?" Lily stopped running around long enough to look at Daryl, who nodded. Carol held out her hand for Sophia and the girl quickly ran to her mother. Lily stood next to Daryl and the four made their way out of the house. They thanked Michonne for having them, and said it was a very nice party. They walked toward their houses together in a small group.

"Daryl, I'm hungry." Lily said, she'd already eaten a ton of junk at Michonne's, but she was still really hungry. Lily was always hungry. Daryl could go for something to eat, even though it was the middle of the night.

"Prolly be a fast food joint open." Daryl offered, and Lily excitedly bounced around. Daryl glanced at Carol out of the corner of his eye. "You and Sophia wanna tag along?" He asked. Sophia nodded up at her mother and Carol nodded.

"If it's not any trouble." She said and Daryl shook his head. They all walked to Carol's house and then climbed into her car.

* * *

It was late, Daryl guessed around two in the morning, there was virtually no traffic on the road and almost every store was closed. They found a crappy convenience store though, and it was open. The bright neon light reading 'open' glowed and Daryl could hear the light buzzing. He tried not to pay much mind to it as he leaned against the wall. Carol leaned on the wall beside him and they watched the girls, who sat on the hood of the car eating the greasy food which they had bought. Carol smiled and shut her eyes for a moment.

"Tired?" Daryl asked her. She nodded.

"A little, not too much though. You?" She replied. She opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. Daryl just shook his head.

"Nope," He replied curtly. "I'll drive home, if you're too tired." He offered.

"Thanks, Daryl." She thanked him. He wasn't having it, though. He just looked at the ground and scuffed his feet like he always did whenever people said thanks.

"S'okay. Ain't nothing." He mumbled as he hid behind his hair. Carol wanted to say it wasn't nothing and that it was very nice of him, but she knew Daryl wasn't very good at accepting thank yous, so she didn't push it. She just enjoyed the silence and watching the girls.

Soon enough they all climbed into the car, the girls in the backseat and the adults up front, Daryl drove. Carol felt herself falling asleep in the car the second she sat down, and she could tell the girls were falling asleep too. Daryl was of course not tired. She blinked a few times and forced herself to stay awake until they pulled up in her driveway. She scooped up Sophia from the backseat and Daryl did the same with Lily.

"Goodnight, Daryl." Carol said, suppressing a yawn. Daryl nodded his head in return and he and Lily disappeared across the street. Carol carried Sophia through the house and put her in her bed, she was already asleep and showing no signs of waking up so Carol left. She changed into pajamas and climbed into her own bed, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

* * *

**A.N: Crap chapter, I know. Apologizing right here right now for 1. Not updating sooner and 2. The dodgy update. So yeah, that happened. I'm sorry these chapters are all kinda just filler, I don't want to rush Caryl, and I'm trying to keep it going at a steady pace. (I feel I am failing this, though). Anyway, I'm being held hostage by plot bunnies and next chapter should be a little better. Well... Hopefully. Again, sorry this chapter was really... dull?  
**

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